Week 14: Pickups of the Week
QB Russell Wilson, ---
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In leading the Seahawks to an upset win over the Bears on Sunday, Russell Wilson inserted himself into the conversation for NFL rookie of the year. Whether or not you're ready to have that talk, you need to give Wilson credit for the unbelievable numbers he's put up, especially over the past month. In the last four games he has thrown nine touchdown passes against zero interceptions and owns the top QB rating in the league over that span. He needs to be owned and started in almost all fantasy leagues over the next two weeks. Only a nightmare matchup against San Francisco during Fake Championship Week prevents him from being considered among the playoff elite in ten-team leagues.
RB Joique Bell, ---
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Joique Bell has put up a gaudy 5.7 yards per carry this season, making himself useful despite being a part-time player. Last weekend marked the second time this season he has surpassed 100 total yards in a game and the outlook is promising for both he and starter Mikel Leshoure next Sunday. Though their Green Bay opponents own a middle-of-the-park run defense on the season, the Packers have been beaten up over the last few games and allowed the Vikings' Adrian Peterson to scorch them for 210 yards in Week 13. Bell has modest upside, but is a reasonable flex option this week in 12-team leagues.
RB Montell Owens, ---
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Montell Owens is a reasonably healthy running back. That's really all you need to know about him. No one else in Jacksonville can make that claim right now, so Owens will be the man until team doctors can -- like the king's horses and men -- put one of the others together again. Jalen Parmele is on IR, Rashad Jennings is concussed (and largely ineffective besides), while Maurice Jones-Drew is due back eventually. IF MJD can't go this week and you're hurting for a back, feel free to give Owens a shot.
RB James Starks, ---
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James Starks out carried his backfield cohort Alex Green (15-12) last weekend and notched the first rushing touchdown by a Packers running back since October 7. He has now led the team in rushing in each of the last four weeks and that fact likely lands him on the fantasy radar. Desperate owners seeking to plug flex gaps this coming weekend may want to look his way. Just remember that Green Bay is deeply committed to passing the football and Starks is wrapped in a numbers-killing platoon. As such, he's an add best suited for deep leagues.
WR Chris Givens, ---
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The Rams were without target-magnet Danny Amendola on Sunday, so they created a new one. For the second week in a row it was Givens, not Brandon Gibson, who led his team in targets, yards and catches. Givens' role has evolved plenty in a short span of time, and it now looks like the rookie fourth-rounder out of Wake Forest could retain considerable value when (or if) Amendola returns to action. He has 20 catches over the last three games and has quietly put together a solid 33/559/3 line for the year. His arrow is pointing up. Gibson, on the other hand, looks to have flamed out and can't currently be trusted in fantasy leagues.
